RISE is “a daring and important new musical” (Broadway World) about a group of Jewish women resistance fighters during the Holocaust who wage an uprising against the Nazi regime.
RISE is based on the true stories of the Kashariyot, or couriers: courageous young Jewish girls who disguise themselves as Aryan and travel through Nazi territory smuggling food, messages, and weapons to the underground resistance movement throughout occupied Europe. In the depths of the Holocaust, it was a group of teenage girls who fed and armed the scrappy and starving bands of Jewish warriors who dared to fight back.
RISE is their story.
The music of RISE ignites the stage with furious electric guitar-driven rock, utilizing the ultimate music of rebellion to showcase the ultimate acts of resistance. The band is on stage and a working part of the cast. According to Broadway World, “the score for ‘Rise' is superb, fluctuating from somber acoustic guitar ballads to catchy rock anthems evocative of The White Stripes. The edgy punk rock vibe of these songs is the perfect backdrop for a story about resistance and fighting back against the forces of evil, and the show bounces with ease between these heavier upbeat songs to the soaring vocal numbers."
Listen to our song "Welcome to the Couriers"
RISE is the winner of the Bela Zarhi Prize from the Ghetto Fighters’ House in Israel and the Fund for the Heritage of Polish Jewry. It was a finalist for the Eugene O’Neill NMTC, and was workshopped and showcased by the Alliance for Jewish Theatre.
The debut development production of RISE ran for three weeks in Rochester, New York in 2022 to sold-out 300-seat audiences. It was followed by a sell-out performance at a 500-seat venue in Syracuse, New York. Following the outbreak of war in Israel on October 7th, RISE was staged in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, under missile fire, in an improvised venue that doubled as a bomb shelter, to a sold-out crowd that came out to see the show in the midst of an active war.
We have also performed privately for StandWithUs, the Israeli American Council, and Hillel.
Upcoming performances include the Holocaust Museum in Los Angeles on December 5th, JW3 in London, and Beit Lessin Theatre in Tel Aviv.
Tammy Marshall, NY
"Someone should let Broadway know that the best new show since Hamilton just premiered in Rochester, NY. One of the most powerful shows I have ever seen on a stage!"
Anna Morrison Markowitz, NY
"One of the most incredible shows I've seen in years... The score screams of rebellion... You'll be living with these characters and singing these songs long after the curtain falls."
Jessica Ann Best, Mezzo-Soprano, Artistic Director, NY
"One of the most significant musicals of our time. RISE is the story that needs to be told. It is sophisticated and personal, with haunting and beautiful melodies that you will go home singing. A powerful moment in theatre that needs to be seen and heard.”
RISE is written and composed by American/Canadian/Israeli creator Joshua Daniel Hershfield. He studied at Berklee College of Music, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and is a graduate of the MA in Holocaust Studies program at Haifa University where he was an Azrieli Foundation Scholar.
Contact: rise@risetherockmusical.com